Deepest Secrets
by ectophandom
Summary: When Danny and Valerie talk on their way home from school, things get intense when a ghost attacks this dynamic duo. Will Danny manage to keep his secret while protecting himself and his friend? Pre-Phantom Planet. One-Shot (not a Valerie x Danny) rated T for EXTREME ANGST (and swearing)


**A/N**

 **So, this was really fun to write, to be honest. I really like one-shots ^_^**

 **I hope you like it, enjoy!**

"We need to talk," a strong, slightly raspy voice startled Danny. He turned partially away from his best friends to see none other that Valerie Grey, Amity Park's other ghost hunter.

Tucker and Sam looked at Danny with a look of worry, but he shot them a look that sent the message _I'll be fine_. He turned back to Valerie. "Sure, what's up?"

"Alone, dimwit," Valerie retorted incredulously. Danny nodded, putting up the facade of confidence while inside, he struggled to figure out where he had slipped up.

Danny had always been so careful about his secret. Alright, maybe not always, but having had it for just over a year, he was starting to really get the hang of keeping such a huge and intrusive secret. He carried it on his shoulders everyday along with his schoolwork, household responsibilities, societal expectations, and high school drama, just another straw on this camel's back. He made so sure that nobody would be able to figure out the double life he lived. He'd been SO careful.

Trying to steady his breathing, he tried to remind himself that it could be anything she wanted to talk about. Danny had discovered that whenever anyone wanted to speak to him, requesting to do so with a serious tone, his mind instantly wandered to his alter ego. In other words, he had to remind himself often to take a few deep breaths and just calm down.

Because the school day had already ended, the teen ghost fighters decided to begin walking home. "So, what's up?" Danny tried to act casual.

"I wanted to apologize, for . . . well, everything," Valeria wrung her hands nervously, not daring to look at those sky blue eyes. "The A-listers, the populars, they decided today . . . I wasn't good enough for them. I started to realize how terribly I've treated you and Sam and Tucker. But especially you. I'm sorry," Valerie finished her apology, her voice beginning to shake towards the end.

Danny took a calming breath, realizing that he'd jumped to conclusions once again. "No, what do you mean? You're probably the the nicest A-lister I've met! Val, do you even remember when we were close friends for a while, even dating?"

"Yeah, and do you remember how I ditched you the second we broke up, going back to those assholes?" Valerie's voice was suddenly filled with a bit of anger. "They treated you like shit for years, and I just stood by and told myself that that was the way friends treated each other. They treated me like something they'd just pulled out of the trash can, and I kept acting like their loyal servant."

"Val, it's ok, really," Danny smiled, causing Valerie to finally look up at him. She smiled sadly, her teal eyes still slightly sad. "I'm not mad at all."

"I know you aren't. It just makes you that much greater," she thew her arms around Danny in a loving, sisterly fashion. Danny's backpack, which had been barely hanging on his shoulder, fell to the ground with a weak thud. "Thanks, ya dork."

Just as Danny was about to respond, his ghost sense went off, startling him. Even though he'd had his ghost powers for a while now, he still would never get over the chill that slithered down his spine every time his ghost sense went off. The adrenaline would never wear off from putting this own (half) life at risk to save the people he loved. He constantly longed for a day off, but at the same time, lived for the satisfaction that greeted him at the end of a long day of ghost hunting.

"Danny, you ok?" Valerie asked, pulling out of the gentle hug. "You look like you've seen a ghost," she joked, but Danny didn't laugh. _I'm about to_ , he thought, but didn't dare speak. Instead, he listened for any signs of danger.

"Well well well," a metallic voice came from behind the halfa, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up in anticipation. "What do we have here?"

Danny turned slowly, his eyes landing on none other than Skulker.

"What are you doing here, ghost?" Valerie asked before Danny had the chance to say anything stupid that might have revealed himself.

Skulker laughed, like a million little pieces of hail hitting a thin sheet of metal. "Why don't you ask your little boyfriend here?"

"He's not my boyfriend," Valerie growled. "Danny, what the hell is this pile of junk talking about.

Not daring to break eye contact with Skulker, Danny spoke harshly, "I don't know."

"Why, that's not true!" the robotic ghost aimed his gun right at Danny's head. "How about you come with me, or else . . . " Skulker turned his aim slowly towards Valerie's head, "things might get a bit messy."

Valerie tensed behind him. "D- Danny, do you know what he's talking about?"

Danny, still not looking away from the ghost in front of him, whispered softly in Valerie's ear just loud enough for her to hear, "Are you carrying any ecto-weapons?"

"No, I wanted to talk without weapons- wait, how do you know about that?" she responded in a whisper. Danny mentally cursed himself, thinking of his backpack on the ground. If he were to reach for it, it would be too late, and Skulker would fire. That was not an option.

"Now, come on, what are you two discussing? I can guarantee that whatever it is, it can wait," Skulker smirked, having seen, but not heard, the teens' little exchange.

A million thoughts ran through Danny's head, threatening to come bursting out all at once. Of all the options, he could only find a few that lead to nobody being blown up. Danny could go with Skulker, which would basically ensure his own death. He could try to attack Skulker in his human form, which he couldn't imagine going very well, or he could attack him in his ghost form, revealing his secret to Valerie.

Danny's thoughts were interrupted by Skulker activating his gun, a thin buzzing sound ringing through the air. "Your choice, come with me or watch your little friend here get blown to pieces," Skulker's smirk twisted into a demented smile.

The gun began to glow green, ready to fire any second. Fearing for his friend's life, Danny acted without thinking. His reflexes kicked in while he leaped through the air, a pair of electric blue rings forming around his waist and spreading over his body until he was no longer awkward, clumsy, wimpy Danny Fenton, but Amity Park's resident hero, Danny Phantom.

He kicked Skulker's gun out of his hand, the ectoplasmic bomb exploding a nearby tree rather than Valerie's head. "Well, I did't think you'd have the guts, ghost child," Skulker's smile contorted into a scowl. "Too bad, this could've been a lot easier. I guess I'll have to cage you myself."

Skulker pressed a few buttons on his gauntlet, a net coming from his belt. He readied it in his hands, but before he could launch it at Danny, a blue light came from behind the halfa, sucking Skulker into the vortex until there was nothing left but a bit of grey smoke. Danny turned slowly around, finding Valerie holding the Fenton Thermos that had been in his backpack.

"Valerie," he put his hands up slowly, "please don't shoot." He tried to figure out what she was thinking, but her face was completely emotionless, revealing nothing.

"I wasn't planning on it, dork," she lowered the thermos slowly, and Danny physically relaxed. She threw the thermos down on the ground, running over to Danny, who was still in his ghost form, and threw her arms around him. "You fucking loser, why did you do that and be the hero there? You scared me!"

"You- you're not mad?" Danny asked, still in a state of shock.

"How long have you- I tried to KILL you! Oh, Danny!" Valerie pressed her face harder against his neck. "How long?

Danny finally moved his arms around her, resting his head on Valerie's head. "A little over a year now."

"Oh, no, you stupid, do you know how dangerous that is?" Valerie pushed herself away from Danny. "You could've been killed! And not just this time, but literally everyday for the last YEAR!"

"You're not mad? You don't want to kill me?" Danny was shaking at this point, still in a state of shock. "I thought you hated me, are you going to kill me? Do you hate me? I'm sorry, for everything, I didn't mean to ruin your life, I was stupid, and I- I can't, I just . . . " Danny continued to shake.

"Danny, no, stop! Please, I could never hate you. I just . . . I don't see how I didn't see it. You look exactly like him, and your names . . . wow, how didn't I see it sooner!" Valerie asked in amazement. Noticing that Danny wasn't responding, worry crossed her face. "A- are you shaking? Oh my gosh, Danny, I . . . come here," she gave him another sisterly hug. They stood there for a while, just holding each other until Danny finally ceased to shake.

"Sorry about that," he mumbled in embarrassment, pulling away. "I just . . . telling other people scares me. A lot. I never imagine it going well," Danny explained.

"No, never be sorry for being afraid, Danny. Never apologize for who you are, it's ok," she smiled kindly at him. "So, how did it happen? Was it one of your parents' inventions?"

Danny took a deep breath, explaining the accident in the lab just over a hear ago. Valerie was in awe by the end of it, still shocked that he had been shouldering such a huge secret with only the support of two friends and his sister.

"Wow. I'm so sorry. I never- I never meant to hurt you. Ever. Danny, you mean a lot to me. You're my _friend_ ," Valerie explained.

"I know," Danny smiled at her, glad that she wasn't mad at him. Ever since the accident, he'd been afraid to tell anyone. His parents constantly talked about destroying him, and Valerie had always been pretty adamant on killing him. The fact that she wasn't trying to slowly torture him at the moment was enough to make him think that maybe he had a chance to get his parents to understand.

Even though his life been thrown into a whirlpool of secrecy and danger the last year, knowing that he had yet another person to trust gave him the strength to continue on. The fact that one of the people he had expected to react the worst had welcomed him with open arms was so reassuring, Danny felt like a weight had been lifted off of his lungs. Like he could breath a little easier.

He was lucky to have a friend like her.


End file.
